Stagnation or decline is one of the negative indicators in business. Overseas discoveries and colonies were acceptable risks for traders. The East India Company often enforced its aims through military force; private enterprise in the 19th century had a larger army than Britain itself. The exponential growth of wealth came at the cost of a fundamental variable: business. Today we find few new areas on earth. We can dive even deeper in the oceans. Planets and their satellites offer new opportunities for resource extraction. Today, interplanetary mining companies are closer to fiction than reality. The planet is the only one we can cultivate. In the coming decades, the planet\’s limited resources will bring about radical changes in the energy policies of nations. Investigations of alternative energy sources fill scientific journals. While we are unlikely to lose our power sources, prices may change in different directions.

Several consumption indicators have issued warnings in recent years. Developed countries, including the Czech Republic, are draining the earth of large amounts of renewable resources and will be living with ecological debt within a year. Many documentaries depict the enormous expenditure required by the earth to produce, for example, a pair of pants or a shirt. There are also documentaries about waste. We throw away large quantities of products before their shelf life or use value expires. We are interested in new designs, series, and fads. The logical consequence is the emergence of organizations that promote the efficient use of the fruits of civilization and reduce what we need. Minimalists live in small apartments or houses surrounded only by the resources they need. They prefer quality over quantity. Their wardrobe consists of only a few types of clothing. They do not need to wear new clothes. They pursue sustainability. They are environmentally friendly. We are all sitting on the same branch.

The more we cut into it, the worse our prospects may become. Even a single new piece of information can raise awareness of the problems we will face in the near future. In the Czech Republic, one can learn about minimalism and zero waste at the only festival of its kind in Brno. After all, nature itself does not waste. It uses all the waste that nature produces. Circle of Life and Circular Economy are similar concepts that offer possible solutions for future generations.